Tuesday, December 13, 2016

Welcome back! It's always a treat when the Papertrey Ink girls feature some of your new products on a group post day. An extra special treat, it is. I can't wait to see what the girls all do with my new Take It Easy stamps and dies, Cozy Bed Dies, and Tissue Cover Dies in the get well ensembles they'll be creating.

I have a sweet little combo to share myself. I used elements from Take It Easy. The pajamas I stamped on Hibiscus Burst cardstock and did an easy and light coloring treatment with Copics. You'll notice that there are plain pajama bottoms. They actually match up with a plain top for the guys. (The buttons even go in the other direction.) The plain bottoms can go well with the feminine top as well, for another option.

Check out the sentiment. It hits the right note for when you are taking care of a loved one. It fits nicely in the bottom section of the Delightful Cover Plate.

And check out the Tissue Cover Die. I've been wanting one of these forever! You take your basic travel size tissue pack and fancy it up a bit. Just the right thing for a friend or family member who is under the weather. I stamped it repeatedly with Keep It Simple: Sending Hugs.

Just a visual to show you which tissues fit inside the box created by the new Tissue Cover Die. I recommend taking them out of their plastic wrapping before you box them up. These are something that are really inexpensive and can be picked up anywhere. This is a nice way to express sympathy with a small gesture that means a whole lot to the recipient.

And before I go, a close up at my newspaper headline. Snicker. Word! Only my problem is that I don't need to be sick to fall into this specific trap.

Thanks for joining me. Check out a plethora of inspiration at Nichole's blog. And all these feel better products from me (Tissue Cover Die, Take It Easy stamps and dies, and Cozy Bed Dies) will be available on December 15 at 10 PM EST at www.papertreyink.com.

Sunday, December 11, 2016

Hey Everybody! I hope the holiday season is treating you well and you are enjoying making memories with your loved ones all month long. And that when you take a little breather from that, you are indulging in lots of craft projects! Such a fun time of year.

I've got a new stamp set and a few dies to coordinate this month for the December Papertrey Ink release. I'm here to show you the first card I made with Take It Easy. It's all about staying in bed and taking it easy. That could be for a whole variety of reasons. And, of course, there's a humorous element to it all as well because it isn't something I can resist doing. After all, laughter is the best medicine.

Here you have the Take Easy stamps and die set. This set was illustrated at the same time as Sweet Dreams, so they have the same style and they can work together if you wish. You have this little scene laid out on a the new Cozy Bed Dies. Makes you want to cuddle on in, doesn't it? It does for me!

People often read the paper in bed on a lazy Sunday morning. (Let's all pretend we do that with an actual newspaper still instead of a tablet.) This is were all the humor comes in. The top story headline is added in and can be switched out. So there are several stories that you can choose to match up with your card's sentiment. Fun, right? This one might be my favorite.

Take It Easy and Cozy Bed Dies will be available soon at www.papertreyink.com. The release goes live at 10 PM EST on December 15th. I'll be back more this week with more cards. Thanks for taking a little time out of your busy holiday schedule to pop on in.

Sunday, November 13, 2016

I wanted to pop in here today with a card that focuses on the frame elements of my new November Papertrey Ink stamp set and dies, Fill in the Blank. They can add the perfect finishing touch to a front card panel on just about any project.

The key in creating the frame is to place your main panel on your card and then stamp the lines around it. The edges of the panel act as your guide for easy placement.

I always envisioned using Oopsie Daisy with this set. A fun floral element is always the right touch.

Thanks for joining me. Fill in the Blank stamps and dies will be available on November 15th at 10 PM EST at www.papertreyink.com. Have a nice Thanksgiving!

Saturday, November 12, 2016

Hello Papertrey Ink friends. I'm back with two more cards featuring my stamp set for the November Release, Fill in the Blank.

This time I'm showing a feature you haven't seen in any of the examples. In addition to the three large text blocks and their corresponding single phrase stamps that help you "fill in the blank" (just because, happy birthday, and thank you), there are three additional sentiment stamps that coordinate. They feature the same font and spacing as the text blocks, so they can seamlessly blend. Let me show you what I mean.

On this card, I stamped the large "happy birthday" text block twice in Stormy Seas ink. I "filled in the blank" with the single "happy birthday" stamp in the same color ink, so it looks like a solid background now. The additional sentiment that matches "happy birthday" is "thinking of you today & always". I stamped that in True Black on Aqua Mist cardstock and added that to my card along with the lovely cup from What the Doodle: Teacup.

How about another example? I stamped the large "thank you" text block three times on my Lovely Lady cardstock panel. The text blocks tile beautifully in a vertical orientation, one stacked on top of the other. (I want to mention that they do not tile horizontal. I find that the size they come in is sufficient for so many applications, that I don't feel limited by the lack of horizontal tiling.) I stamped the single "thank you" in the same color ink to "fill in the blank" like I did on the teacup card, for a solid background look.

I pulled out an old favorite with Strawberry Patch and added that lovely vine of berries to my card. The coordinating sentiment for "thank you" is "you are so sweet". I stamped that in Pure Poppy on Lovely Lady cardstock and die cut it with the coordinating die. This got popped on top of the strawberries as a focal point sentiment. Easy.

I hope you like what you see. I'm really enjoying this stamp set a lot! I'll be making a few more cards for tomorrow. Stop by and see. And if you like what you see, Fill in the Blank stamps and dies will be available at www.papertreyink.com at 10 PM EST to purchase. Thanks for stopping by.

Friday, November 11, 2016

Hiya! Stopping by to see some Fill in the Blank stamp and die projects for the November Papertrey Ink release? You've come to the right place. Let me show you some ways to use this great new basic.

Fill in the Blank consists of three rectangular text backgrounds with the main word removed in the lower right corner. The stamp set comes with single phrases to "fill in the blank" of the text box. The results are you can create a background with a colored focal point like I did on this card. The larger text background was stamped in Hawaiian Shores and the single "fill in the blank" was stamped in Olive Twist. I used Bloomin' Cute stamps and dies to surround my focal point sentiment.

Also included in the stamp set are some frame elements that help you fancy up the edges of your text blocks. With the coordinating dies, you get a great card elements that can be used for so many projects.

The dies include a single rectangle that perfertly fits the text blocks and five small rectangles that can be used on the single lined sentiments. Here I stamped a single "happy birthday" text block on a rectangle die cut and used the small rectangle die that fits the "happy birthday" sentiment to die cut three spaces out of the background text. The single lined sentiments were stamped on the card base to show through the die cut openings.

I elevated the panel on foam tape for dimension. Really fun window effect. And I used the frame elements to finish off the project.

This is certainly a fun and adaptable stamp set. I have a list of ideas as long as my arm. Be back tomorrow with some more.

You can add Fill in the Blank stamps and dies to your collection on November 15th, 2016 at www.papertreyink.com. Can't wait to see your creations if you decide to pick them up.

Thursday, October 13, 2016

A Christmas release at Papertrey Ink can't come to pass without more new stitching dies. I love creating for the holidays with felt and welcome every opportunity to do so. Let me show you what got "cooked up" for you this month.

This time around, I have three new stitching dies. There is the Stitched Gingerbread Basic Dies, Stitched Gingerbread Mister, and Stitched Gingerbread Miss. The fun thing about the Stitched Gingerbread Mister and Miss dies is that you have the option built into the die set to add felt button details or bling them up with beads and sequins. In the above photo you get a good look at both versions.

Here are both the Stitched Gingerbread Mister and Stitched Gingerbread Miss together, side by side, out of felt. They are accented with beads and sequins. I love that shiny and sparkle on a Christmas tree.

I also want to point out quickly that in this example, the eyes are french knots. Beads, black brads, or itty bitty little black epoxy stickers (I've used Doodlebug Designs in the past) work well here too.

And here the Stitched Gingerbread Mister and Miss are again, this time out of cardstock (double layered for sturdiness), but this time using the felt button accents included in the sets. Small silver brads are placed for eyes.

Here's a print out of how the sequins/button exchange works as well as the stitching diagrams for your reference.

On the backs of both sets of ornaments, I used the Stitched Gingerbread Basics Die. It has stitching holes just along the perimeter. When making an double-sided ornament, you first add in all the details on the front with the Stitched Gingerbread Miser or Stitched Gingerbread Miss and then stitch it to the Stitched Gingerbread Basics die along the edge. By having a separate die this way, you avoid buying it twice if it was bundled with the two different versions. A way to keep the cost down for you if you are buying both the Stitched Gingerbread Mister and Stitched Gingerbread Miss.

Of course, you can use just the Stitched Gingerbread Basics alone in dozens of different ways. Let's start out with three. Here, I created simple cardstock tags for gifting baked goods. They are accented with dies and stamps from Betsy's new Dress Up Dolls: Let's Bake set. Love how the chef hat is sized to work so well.

And check these out! Very happy with this little discovery. In using the negative cuts of any stitching die (in this case, Stitched Gingerbread Basics), you eliminate the stitching holes all together for an entirely new look.

Betsy's new Sweet Holiday Treats pairs up nicely with the gingerbread theme. I used the dies and stamps to accent this simple negative die cut created with Stitched Gingerbread Basics.

And here's another version with the same idea, only done just a wee bit differently. This is really how I decorate cookies. Nothing too fancy. HA! Just throw some sprinkles on them like I did here with the dies and stamps from my previously released Sprinkles on Top. Sentiment is from Holiday Pin Ups.

Here's a little shot of how I did that. I merely took a pair of scissors and cut off the holes on a white cut of Stitched Gingerbread Basics. I can totally pull that off because the more uneven and mess it is, the more realistic it looks. LOL! Like I said, this is how cookies get decorated at my house. Perfect! Now, of course, I'm wondering what other dies in my stitching collection can be used to pull this off. Possibilities!

Thanks for joining me today. More inspiration at Nicole's blog. These new stitching dies can join your collection here really soon. Just a few more days. They'll be available on 10/15/16 at www.papertreyink.com at 10 PM EST. Happy crafting!

Wednesday, October 12, 2016

Welcome back to another countdown day with Papertrey Ink for October. I'm still playing around with the Layered Gift Bow Die and it's sister product, Simple Bow Die. They certainly make quick projects come together for the holidays and beyond.

I mentioned yesterday that these two new die sets work year around. Didn't take long for that to be something that was needed around this house when I had to make a card yesterday for my son's friend. I busted out Gifts of the Seasons and Ombre Birthday to create this simple card in shades of Green Parakeet, Orange Zest, and Hawaiian Shores. The Simple Bow Die is positioned to look like it is holding all those gifts together.

A close up shot shows off all the details. This is another die set that comes in multiple pieces for layering, adding up to a fabulous realistic look. A square tag from Tiny Tags and stamped with the original Tiny Tags stamp set is tucked underneath, as if it was tied in.

I wanted to bust out some of the little gift box dies that have been previously released and top them off with the Layered Gift Bow. For a fun experiment, I used the Luxe Silver and Luxe Gold adhesive sheets. FANTASTIC look, quite reminiscent of foil shapes and wrap from back in the 50's.

I used the Essential Pillow Box die here in Pure Poppy and before I assembled, I applied Fair Isle Borders in Versamark and dusted with a gold Perfect Pearls to match the shiny gold metallic of the Layered Bow.

And I got to use the new Olive Twist cardstock to create a simple box using the Vintage Favor Box. I just left it plain and added a Layered Bow Die with the Luxe Silver Adhesive Paper. Very classy.

Just a head's up on the luxe adhesive paper. I find that the pressure of the die cutting machine can sort of "wear out" the adhesive a bit. It was still very useable on these applications, but I did find that I had to press it down harder to my project than I normal would have. My true test is always asking myself, "Would I do that again?" The answer here is definitely "yes". A little extra hassle was no big deal, especially for the pay off of the vintage look. Just giving ya'll a head's up.

That's it for me today. I'll be back tomorrow. More inspiration can be found at Nichole's blog for the first group post day of the month. And remember that this and all the new products for October will be available on October 15, 2016 at 10 PM EST at www.papertreyink.com.